The village way to celebrate CNY

It is not allowed to set off firecrackers or fireworks in Hong Kong. This is understandable as it would be very dangerous to allow this in a city with high population density. Yet, in the villages in New Territories, this prohibition is ignored and firecrackers are set off on festive occasions, particularly during Lunar New Year.

Today, the first day of 2013 Lunar New Year, when I passed by Ho Pui Village (河背村) in Yuen Long, a sea of amazing red caught my eye. It is what has been left behind after firecrackers were set off in front of a temple. And this is a colorful billboard celebrating Chinese New Year in the traditional village way. It hangs high over the village’s communal building.